Tennessee’s unemployment rate for April remains at historic low

For the third consecutive month, Tennessee’s preliminary statewide unemployment rate for April 2019 remains at the all-time low of 3.2 percent, according to data released today by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).

Tennessee first set its all-time low unemployment rate in February and it has remained at a seasonally adjusted 3.2 percent each month since establishing the record. Over the last 12 months, unemployment across the state dropped by 0.4 of a percentage point when compared to data from April 2018.

“The latest unemployment numbers demonstrate consistent economic stability,” said TDLWD Commissioner Jeff McCord. “We have not experienced much movement in unemployment for nearly two years. And that’s really good news.”

Tennessee employers added 5,000 new nonfarm jobs between March and April. The professional/business services sector experienced the biggest increase, adding 2,600 positions. The leisure and hospitality sector was close behind with 2,400 new jobs added during April.

Between April 2018 and April 2019, Tennessee gained an estimated 51,600 new nonfarm jobs.

The April preliminary unemployment rate for the United States stands at 3.6 percent, which is 0.2 of a percentage point lower than March’s national rate.

The statewide and national unemployment rates are seasonally adjusted to eliminate the influences of weather, holidays, the opening and closing of schools, and other recurring seasonal events from an economic time series.

Tennesseans searching for new employment can log on to Jobs4TN.gov, the state’s workforce development website. It has over 150,000 active job listings, as well as free online resume assistance, job interview skills training, and other best practices to help with job searching.

The state of Tennessee will release the county unemployment rates for April 2019 Thursday, May 23, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. CT.